Why Are People So Shallow?

You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why people, specifically Americans, seem to be so very shallow. One person has a meltdown because her shampoo pump doesn't function to her liking. Another because the cost a meal in a fast food establishment was higher than she thought was acceptable. Another just can't seem to pull himself out of the doldrums after his favorite college sports team lost a game, not a championship.......................a game. Another seems incapable of posting anything on social media or talking about anything beyond nonstop bragging about their children. Yet another lives and dies by the latest happenings on "American Idol".

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Japanese remain displaced and/or homeless. (Remember the tsunami?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in the Southern US struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this spring?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in Joplin, MO, and elsewhere also struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this week?) Meanwhile, wars slog on in the Middle East. (Remember Iraq and Afghanistan?) Meanwhile, children and adults go to bed hungry in our own communities. Meanwhile, the economic recovery continues at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, minorities and women continue to be repressed. Meanwhile, citizens are forced into bankruptcy due to a lack of access to quality healthcare. Meanwhile, millions of children grow up without fathers. Meanwhile, the rich get richer while the poor struggle to survive day to day and week to week.

But I guess all that pales in comparison to washing your hair, your burger and fries, your favorite basketball team losing, your kids’ latest embellished activities, and sodding American Idol, huh? Do you see yourself in any of these examples? Are you angry with me for calling you out? Well, after you get done being angry with me, get angry with yourself for being so bloody shortsighted and self-centered.

While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a particular show on the telly, being proud of your children, following sports teams, and even occasionally harping about the high price of junk food, I am continuously flabbergasted at how clueless and/or uncaring the average America seems to be about the world around them. Ladies and gentlemen, a world, sometimes a very ugly and unpleasant world, exists beyond the end of your nose. If you don't see it, you can't do anything to make it better. If it doesn't get better, we, as a people, will continue to face difficult and trying times.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.